Bartlett bounces Leyden

Bartlett's Lance Whitaker, left, and Justin Busch walk off the court after their victory over Leyden in Thursday's Class 4A York regional game in Elmhurst.John Starks | Staff Photographer

Bartlett's Marcus Aluquin dumps the ball to a teammate against Leyden in Thursday's Class 4A York regional game in Elmhurst.John Starks | Staff Photographer

By Seth HancockDaily Herald Correspondent

A slow-paced, low-scoring game wasn't exactly what Bartlett boys basketball coach Jim Wolfsmith was hoping for -- but he'll certainly take the final result.

The No. 7 Hawks earned a spot in the Class 4A York regional title game after defeating the No. 10 Leyden Eagles 33-29 on Thursday night.

"We didn't want a low-scoring game, but they're a really good defensive team and this was a physical game," Wolfsmith said.

Bartlett (20-9) trailed only twice, both by 1 point, but the Hawks never were able to rest.

Bartlett took a 25-21 lead into the fourth quarter, but Omar Lozoya had a steal and a layup followed by a 3-pointer to open the final period giving Leyden (17-11) a 26-25 advantage.

A Ryan DiCanio layup followed by a bucket from Lance Whitaker off a Marcus Aluquin assist put the Hawks ahead again 29-26.

Lozoya finished with a game-high 15 points, including all 8 of the Eagles' fourth-quarter points, and his third trey of the night tied things up at 29-29 with 3:08 left on the clock.

"My teammates did a good job finding me, and I was just able to knock my shots down," said Lozoya, one of Leyden's eight graduating seniors.

Lozoya added: "I think this was a very successful season. It was more successful than we thought it would be."

A minute after Leyden tied the game, Whitaker grabbed an offensive rebound and put in the go-ahead bucket, and he assisted a Mitch Reid layup with 52 seconds remaining for the final score. Whitaker finished with a team-high 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

"Their matchups on defense caused us some problems, but we stuck with the gameplan," Whitaker said. "My shot wasn't falling from the outside, so I stuck inside in the fourth quarter and was able to make a couple baskets."

Bartlett led 8-7 after one quarter and 18-15 at halftime. Aluquin scored all 8 of his points in the second quarter, including a 3 and a 5-for-5 performance at the line, and one of Jon Moss' two treys gave the Hawks their largest lead of the game at 23-15 early in the third quarter.

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